The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) just announced a plan to examine the mobile phone industry in an effort to determine ways that the agency can spur innovation and competition in the industry. The FCC highlighted four key markets ripe for wireless innovation: health care, energy, education and public safety and is seeking comments on how it can best go about facilitating innovation in those areas. The FCC specifically points to “personal medical monitoring devices [that] can send data to a physician or health care facility using a commercial wireless network” as an example of the type of innovation it is trying to encourage.
“Of course, no one can really predict with confidence exactly how the revolution in mobile broadband will ultimately affect our society and our economy. But it doesn’t take a crystal ball to see that the effects are going to be deep and far-reaching. Mobile broadband will create and support many of the great companies, technologies, and applications of tomorrow,” FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said in a statement. “It will play an essential role in supporting the long-term health of our economy and creating new jobs for American workers. It will enable all of us to be more productive and more connected everywhere we go. And, I believe, it will have positive consequences for our nation’s ability to solve pressing problems like health care, energy, education, and public safety.”
The FCC’s notice of inquiry (NOI), includes a request for comments on how it can help facilitate wireless innovation in healthcare: Keep reading>>
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“The single fastest growing medical device we have in this country is probably the iPhone,” Jon Linkous, CEO of the American Telemedicine Association told Mobihealthnews. “I have discussions about the iPhone every single day.”